Daniel Drawbaugh
Encyclopedia
Daniel Drawbaugh was a purported inventor of the telephone
for which he sought a patent in 1880. His claims were contested by the Bell Telephone Company
, which won a court decision in 1888.
Described as a bearded rustic tinkerer from Yellow Breeches Creek
, Pennsylvania, he claimed to have invented a telephone using a teacup
as a transmitter as early as 1867, but had been too poor to patent it then. In a lower court his case was well-financed by the People’s Telephone Co. and brilliantly argued in court by Lysander Hill. But he “blew it” by drawling in court "I don’t remember how I came to it. I had been experimenting in that direction. I don’t remember of getting at it by accident either. I don’t remember of anyone talking to me of it." The lower court findings were confirmed by the Supreme Court in 1888, as noted in The Telephone Cases
.
Drawbaugh was born on July 14, 1827, in Cumberland County
's Eberley's Mills which is just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. According to his obituary printed in the New York Times on November 4, 1911, he invented many appliances, for example: pneumatic tool
s, hydraulic ram
s, folding lunch box
es, coin separators and even is said to have invented a wireless phone that could be used 4 miles away. He died November 3, 1911 in his laboratory while working on a wireless burglar alarm
. Many of his surviving York County relatives attended a ceremony to dedicate a historical marker located at the site of the inventor's workshop and home in 1965.
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
for which he sought a patent in 1880. His claims were contested by the Bell Telephone Company
Bell Telephone Company
The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts on July 9, 1877 by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company — the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company...
, which won a court decision in 1888.
Described as a bearded rustic tinkerer from Yellow Breeches Creek
Yellow Breeches Creek
Yellow Breeches Creek, also known as Minnimingo Creek, is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania in the United States....
, Pennsylvania, he claimed to have invented a telephone using a teacup
Teacup
A teacup is a small cup, with or without a handle, generally a small one that may be grasped with the thumb and one or two fingers. It is typically made of a ceramic material. It is usually part of a set, composed of a cup and a matching saucer. These in turn may be part of a tea set in...
as a transmitter as early as 1867, but had been too poor to patent it then. In a lower court his case was well-financed by the People’s Telephone Co. and brilliantly argued in court by Lysander Hill. But he “blew it” by drawling in court "I don’t remember how I came to it. I had been experimenting in that direction. I don’t remember of getting at it by accident either. I don’t remember of anyone talking to me of it." The lower court findings were confirmed by the Supreme Court in 1888, as noted in The Telephone Cases
The Telephone Cases
The Telephone Cases were a series of U.S. court cases in the 1870s and 1880s related to the invention of the telephone, which culminated in the 1888 decision of the United States Supreme Court upholding the priority of the patents belonging to Alexander Graham Bell...
.
Drawbaugh was born on July 14, 1827, in Cumberland County
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
's Eberley's Mills which is just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. According to his obituary printed in the New York Times on November 4, 1911, he invented many appliances, for example: pneumatic tool
Pneumatic tool
A pneumatic tool or air tools is a tool driven by a gas, usually compressed air supplied by a gas compressor. Pneumatic tools can also be driven by compressed carbon dioxide stored in small cylinders allowing for portability...
s, hydraulic ram
Hydraulic ram
A hydraulic ram, or hydram, is a cyclic water pump powered by hydropower. It functions as a hydraulic transformer that takes in water at one "hydraulic head" and flow-rate, and outputs water at a higher hydraulic-head and lower flow-rate...
s, folding lunch box
Lunch box
The lunch box, also referred to as a lunch pail or lunch kit, is used to store food to be taken to work or school. The concept of a food container has existed for a long time, but it wasn't until people began using tobacco tins to haul meals in the early 20th century, followed by the use of...
es, coin separators and even is said to have invented a wireless phone that could be used 4 miles away. He died November 3, 1911 in his laboratory while working on a wireless burglar alarm
Burglar alarm
Burglar , alarms are systems designed to detect unauthorized entry into a building or area. They consist of an array of sensors, a control panel and alerting system, and interconnections...
. Many of his surviving York County relatives attended a ceremony to dedicate a historical marker located at the site of the inventor's workshop and home in 1965.